Buffalo Bills News - August 12, 2002

Fan Q & A With Eddie Robinson [9:09 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Robinson: We're just starting off and we have a long way to go. We are making strides and improving. Guys are giving a lot of good effort and taking criticism contructively. Everyone is just trying to learn, we are going in the right direction.

Reed tops camp's best [9:00 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"I see a lot of niftiness in the slot. The biggest thing is either you have that feel inside or you don't. It's tough to teach it. He obviously has a knack for getting into open spaces."'

Kelly wants to do more than watch next time [8:59 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"It will probably be the Busch because it takes a lot to put a race team together. It's not just a half-million dollars, it takes a couple of million just to be competitive in this sport."'

Reed playing beyond his years [5:51 AM]D and C reports:
'"Josh is a young guy but he sure doesn't play like one," Bledsoe said. "He plays like a guy with experience. He's got excellent ability. He's very quick, he has strong hands and he's a physical player. He's come along quickly and we're expecting big things out of him this year."'

Stopping the run a concern [5:50 AM]D and C reports:
'The Bills were outrushed 181 yards to 50 and lost the time-of-possession battle 39 minutes to 21 as they opened the preseason with a 24-17 loss.'

Bledsoes plan 'Parenting' day [5:50 AM]D and C reports:
'Mac and Barbara Bledsoe, parents of Buffalo Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe, will conduct a parenting skills day at training camp on Wednesday at St. John Fisher College.'

Fan of the Day [5:49 AM]D and C reports:
'"Drew Bledsoe brings a lot of excitement after the last couple of years. We've been looking for a leader since Jim Kelly retired."'

An NFL reunion at WGI [5:48 AM]Elmira Star Gazette reports:
'A little more than 10 years ago, on Jan. 26, 1992, Gibbs coached the Washington Redskins to a 37-24 victory over Kelly's Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. "I don't really care to talk to Joe Gibbs about that game," Kelly said Sunday, with a big laugh. "That was probably one of our worst Super Bowls. But to tell you the truth, that was probably one of our best years."'

Jim Kelly considers future involvement [5:47 AM]Corning Leader reports:
'"I met with some people (Saturday) and I will continue to meet with some people today about hopefully getting into some part of racing next year," Kelly said. "Maybe either the Busch Series, or hopefully in the future into Winston Cup. It's just a matter of getting the right people behind us and talk with them then."'

Office returns as Bills' starting left defensive end [7:38 PM]AP reports:
'``It was hard to sit, and then to get my lungs back today,'' he said. ``It was a pretty mild concussion, but they wanted to take precautions. They didn't want me to go out and injure myself.'''

Thou shall not Punt [3:26 PM]US News and World Report reports:
David Romer, an economist at the University of California-Berkeley, says in a paper NFL that teams ought to punt more for marhematically they will have better results. Marv Levy, Hall of Fame Coach and Special Teams advocate disagrees. Who would you listen to?

Chris Brown: Travis Brown struggles but may get snaps with first team [12:38 PM]WGR reports:
While the reserve defensive units struggled to get off the field, the Bills offense couldn’t stay on the field. Travis Brown who played so well in the scrimmage struggled against Cincinnati. The Bills HC was pulling for his 3rd string QB, “I would’ve loved to see him get into more of rhythm. He had a couple of passes knocked down, he had some throws darted in there perfectly and we had drops, but you’d have liked to see him have a bit more rhythm.” Still GW hinted that Brown could see time with the first team next week against Minnesota, “We may move him up a little bit and see him take snaps with some of the older guys too.”

Rookie Wire learning fast at new position [9:24 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"He does things you can't coach," said Bills coach Gregg Williams. "He's eager to make plays. I'm anxious to watch the film on him. I think he played pretty soundly, pretty strong overall. There's a couple things on a few of those third downs that were his mistakes, where he was a little bit hesitant. Each time he goes out we'd hope he'll make strides."'

Offensive line looks better except in blocking for running game [9:23 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The alarming part was the Bills' running game. It was a mirror image, or worse, of 2001, when it ranked 22nd in a 31-team league. Travis Henry, the No. 1 ball carrier, averaged less than 2 yards a carry. On his two carries, Shawn Bryson showed that it might not be such a hot idea to trade him. Henry's blockers, to be accurate, were not knocking defenders off the line of scrimmage.'

Bledsoe offers a hitch to Bills’ preseason game plan [7:30 AM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'That's why, of Buffalo's 22 plays during the three series while Bledsoe was on the field Friday night against Cincinnati at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Bledsoe threw 11 times.'

Early signals are good from Bills' newest QB [6:25 AM]Boston Globe reports:
'''We understand if Drew can get some time he'll have some weapons on the field,'' said Donahoe. ''He's already clicking with some of the receivers and [fullback] Larry Centers and our tight ends. When it all comes together, it's going to be fun to watch. But we need to be patient and let [coach] Gregg[ Williams] bring the team along. We can't get too ahead of ourselves. We want to see progress. We have some new players and we have to be patient as they blend in with the rest of our team.'''

August 10, 2002

Kelly provided uplifting moment [9:45 PM]Monessen Valley Independent reports:
'What Cappeletti did then and what Kelly did almost 30 years later served to remind the sports-loving public something they should already know - battles on the field of sports are meaningless when compared to the battle too many of us are forced to wage simply to continue living.'

No pain, but great gains [9:19 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"We know we have to score points, and we know we have a great quarterback who's smart and proven," said Moulds. "When that happens the confidence level goes up at ever position."'

Bledsoe gets high marks in first test [9:18 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The Bills' marketing department couldn't have asked for a better opening-night performance from their new franchise quarterback, or from their revitalized offense.'

Bills' 'D' takes good with bad [9:17 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"Obviously, it's the first preseason game so you can't tell all that much," Fletcher said. "I won't draw any conclusions, but we have a long ways to go. We did do some good things, but there's a lot to work on."'

Offensive line starts slowly [9:16 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The starters played fairly well for the most part. Bledsoe had mostly good protection on his 11 throws and left the game in one piece. The run blocking still needs work, as expected. Although the running backs had a few good gains, the Bills finished with just 50 yards on 15 attempts.'

Bledose is Sharp in Buffalo Debut [8:01 AM]Profootballnews.net reports:
'For the record, the Cincinatti Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills in friday night's preseason contest by the score of 24-17, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second half. However, I don't think you'll find a soul in Buffalo who realy cares.'